On our first meeting of NYSFERATU: Film & Writing Workshop at Queens Museum we started with introductions to get to know each other as well as learn about the different interests people were bringing into the program such as acting, script writing, film making, as well as film studies. Some participants were knowledgeable about Nosferatu while others were not as familiar. Our opening discussions included talking about the idea or mythology of Dracula in popular culture as well as in different forms such as El Cuco, Chupacabra, and other mythical monsters and legends in participants own culture.. This allowed participants to share their own connections and perspectives. We talked about the history of Dracula starting from Bram Stoker’s Novel to Nosferatu (1922) to today’s interpretation. We realized how popular the character of Dracula is and how it is almost inescapable regardless of cultural or geographic background. After screening Act 1:

, we wrote a short reflection on the experience of watching the film as well as some thoughts on the future of the story. We discussed the film elements: acting, characters, music/sound, dialogue, setting/location, as well as other key observations. The artist Andrea Mastrovito joined us to share his work and vision for NYSFERATU, the contemporary retelling of Nosferatu set in today’s New York City.

Text by: PJ Gubatina Policarpio